Maple Leafs' Fraser Minten set to take advantage of 'amazing ...

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Published Oct 05, 2023  •  3 minute read

Toronto Maple Leafs' Fraser Minten (39) celebrates with teammates Nick Abruzzese (26) and Noah Gregor (18) after scoring against the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadian Press

Fraser Minten didn’t think he would still be with the Maple Leafs this late in the pre-season. 

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And Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe, as much as he was impressed by Minten at camp last year, didn’t see it coming either.

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Yet Minten, the Leafs’ second-round pick in 2022, on Thursday night will get another shot to prove he belongs in the National Hockey League when he centres Matthew Knies and Calle Jarnkrok in Toronto’s penultimate pre-season game against the Detroit Red Wings at Scotiabank Arena.

“I don’t really feel any pressure, it’s just an amazing opportunity to me,” Minten said after the morning skate. “It wasn’t necessarily something I expected coming in, to be here at this stage and getting the opportunity I am.

“I don’t feel like I can lose out there tonight, no matter how it goes.”

Fact is, the 19-year-old Minten has shown he can not only skate with the big boys, but be effective. Keefe will be using a roster on Thursday that will closely resemble the group that will play in the regular-season opener next Wednesday against the Montreal Canadiens.

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“In terms of the progress that (Minten) has made from one season to the next, or one camp to the next, it has been remarkable,” Keefe said. “Coming in, you were excited to watch him again, but he wasn’t really on the radar. There were some people internally that were talking to me and saying they thought Minten was going to really show well here and surprise us in some ways. 

“He has certainly done that in terms of the step that he has taken. It was clear that he was a ways away (last fall). He has closed that gap pretty significantly.”

What has put Minten in this position? He’s a smart hockey player, for starters. And he has been consistent. There has been physical maturing as well, something that has allowed him to better handle the shift-to-shift grind.

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He speaks a good game and backs it up when he’s on the ice.

“You’ll win games the more you can manage the puck, put it in their end more than yours, get it out of your end,” Minten said. “I think the way I play is built for pro, so that has helped me.”

Said Morgan Rielly, when asked what has impressed him about Minten: “Lots. I would say everything. He has played outstanding. He’s a mature young guy that has left a good impression on everyone he has talked to over the last couple of weeks. For a guy like that to come in and play well and enjoy the moment and do what he has been doing is outstanding to see for him and for our group.”

We’ll learn more about Minten’s chances of earning at least a nine-game audition to start the season on Thursday night. The worst-case scenario is that he is sent back to Kamloops of the Western Hockey League to continue to develop. That’s not a bad thing either.

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“Just keep doing what he has been doing,” Keefe said. “His chance to do it again tonight and do it with a lot of our (regular) guys in, that’s a different type of rhythm and a different type of feel than what he has had in the other games.

“I intend to play him a lot tonight, but playing a lot tonight will feel different than playing a lot on some of the other nights.”

Among the hopefuls not playing on Thursday — but presumably will play in Detroit on Saturday — are forwards Nick Robertson, Noah Gregor and Bobby McMann.

Pontus Holmberg, trusted by Keefe at his usual centre spot, will shift to the wing on Thursday.

The Leafs’ goaltending plan, meanwhile, is to have Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll each play a full game in the remaining two.

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Samsonov gets the nod on Thursday, with Woll going on Saturday. So, barring injury, the Leafs’ netminding picture is set, leaving Martin Jones as the third-stringer.

Whether the Leafs place Jones on waivers or keep him on the NHL roster (which seems unlikely) will be determined in the next couple of days.

Defenceman John Klingberg (upper body) is slated to practise on Friday with an eye to playing in Detroit on Saturday. Keefe was hopeful that Klingberg would be ready to play in the opener next week.

Tyler Bertuzzi-Auston Matthews-Mitch Marner

Max Domi-John Tavares-William Nylander

Matthew Knies-Fraser Minten-Calle Jarnkrok

Pontus Holmberg-David Kampf-Ryan Reaves

Morgan Rielly-TJ Brodie

Mark Giordano-Timothy Liljegren

Jake McCabe-Simon Benoit

Ilya Samsonov

Joseph Woll

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